Ironing press

ABSTRACT

An ironing press of the type wherein the stationary ironing board is heated by a heating plate lowered onto it by an arm pivotally secured to the press body. To allow freedom of movement in all directions of the heating plate with reference to the ironing board, there is associated with a central multidirectional pivotal connection between the heating plate and the carrier arm, an elastic connection constituted by coaxially bored bosses raised on the plate, the bores in said bosses being engaged by pivots elastically fitted on the carrier arm at points lying with the pivotal connection on a line parallel with the pivotal axis between the heating plate and the carrier arm.

Fresard et al.

[ lRONlNG PRESS [75] Inventors: Marcel Fresard, Petit-Lancy;

Antonio Jimenez, Meyrin-Geneva, both of Switzerland [73] Assignee: Mefina S. A., Fribourg, Switzerland [22] Filed: Dec. 8, 1972 [2l] Appl. No.: 313,440

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 24, 1972 Switzerland 2630/72 [52] US. Cl. 38/17 [51] int. Cl. [58] Field of Search 38/14-17, 23-30, 41, 33

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,590,502 7/1971 Hentschel 38/28 Primary Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney-Emory L. Groff and Emory IQ. Grofi jr.

[5 7 ABSTRACT An ironing press of the type wherein the stationary ironing board is heated by a heating plate lowered onto it by an arm pivotally secured to the press body. To allow freedom of movement in all directions of the heating plate with reference to the ironing board, there is associated with a central multi-directional pivotal connection between the heating plate and the carrier arm, an elastic connection constituted by coaxially bored bosses raised on the plate, the bores in said bosses being engaged by pivots elastically fitted on the carrier arm at points lying with the pivotal connection on a line parallel with the pivotal axisbetween the heating plate and the carrier arm.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 0 x 8 9- M- a! LTI; TFE/: r J A? I i PATENTEU SEPI I I878 SHEET 2 BF 2 IRONING PRESS The present invention has, for its object an ironing press comprising a working area extending over a support, an arm secured to said support through a horizontal pivot substantially parallel with the working area, a heating plate, means through which said heating plate is suspended to the arm and including a multidirectional pivotal connection associated with parts urging elastically the plate into a stable position and a hand-operable control lever pivotally secured to the arm at a point remote from its horizontal axis and provided with an extension cooperating with the support so as to set the heating plate in either of two stable positions corresponding respectively to a closing and to an opening of the press.

In such a press, it is of advantage for the heating plate to be fitted in a manner such that during the closing of the press, the pressure may be distributed uniformly over the fabric to be ironed, account being taken of th varying thicknesses of the different fabrics.

To this end, it has already been proposed to hinge the heating plate on the arm of the press along a longitudinal axis and to cause the working area to rest on its support through rotulas cooperating with elastic securing members. I

Now, it has been found that it is of advantage to resort to a working area rigid with the support and to connect the heating plate with the arm of the press through a suspension allowing the plate to move to a small extent in all directions with reference to the working area of the press. I p

According to the present invention, the upper surface of the heating plate carries two bosses located to either side of the multi-directional pivotal connection,

said bosses being provided with coaxial bores extending in parallelism with the axis of the hinge connecting the arm with the supoort, along a line crossing the heating plate substantially in. its medial portion, which bores are engaged each by a pivot one end of which is hinged to an elastic suspension member connecting it with the carrier arm.} 1 I The accompanying drawings illustrate diagrammatw ically and by way of example, an embodiment of such an improved ironingpress. lnsaid drawings v FIGS. 1 and 2 are elevational side views of thepress, respectively in its open and in its closed position.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, on a larger scale showing the means through which the heating plate is suspended to the carrier arm pivotally secured to the frame of the press.

The ironing press illustrated is similar to that described by the Swiss Patent No $08,087. It includes a frame or support 1 carrying the working area constituted by the fabric-coated ironing board 2. An arm 3, to which is suspended a heating plate 4 forming a sadiron, is pivotally secured to the frame 1 at its rear end, about a horizontal axis. A hand-operable lever 5 is pivotally secured to the arm 3 at a point 6 remote from sadd horizontal axis.

Said lever 5 includes an extension 7 beyond its pivotal connection 6, said extension carrying a slider 8.

provided with two rollers 9. A spring 10 urges said rollers 9 into contact with the outlines of two identical cooperating cams 11 carried by the frame 1.

The lever 5 can enter two stable positions corresponding respectively to a closing'of the press (FIG. 1)

and to its opening (FIG. 2). It is held in either position selectively by the spring 10, since the latter is less compressed for such extreme positions than for any intermediate position by the rollers 9 on the slider 8 engaging the outlines of the cams 11. When the press is closed, the lever 5 abuts furthermore against an elastic stop 12 and when the press is open, the slider 8 abuts against an elastic stop 13.

The suspension system 14 connecting the heating plate 4 with the arm 3 includes a ball-and-socket joint 15 coupling said plate with said arm and held in position by two elastic members 16 arranged to either side of and at a short distance from said joint. I

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the ball 17 of the ball-andsocket joint 15 is carried by a boss formed on the upper surface of the heating plate 4 while its socket 19 forms a recess in the tip of a screw 20 adapted to adjust the spacing between the heating plate 4 and the arm 3 against the action of the two elastic members 16. Said screw 20 engages a tapped bore 21 in the arm 3. As the screw 20 is screwed further down inside the tapped bore 21; the heating plate 4 is urged away from the arm 3 while the pressure exerted by the heating plate 4 on the ironing board 2 increases.

The elastic suspension members 16 include each a slider 22 engaging a bore formed in the arm 3 in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal axis round which the arm 3 is pivotally secured to the frame I. A coil spring 24 surrounding the upper end of each slider 22 engages through one end the upper edge of the part of the arm 3 in which the bore 23 is formed, said spring engaging through its other end the washer 25 at the upper end of the slider 22 to which it is secured by a screw 26 screwed axially into said slider.

Each slider 22 is pivotally secured through its lower end to the end of a pivot 27 carried inside a bore 28 formed across a boss 29 raised over the upper surface of the heating plate 4. I As illustrated in-FIG. 3, the two bosses 29, inside which the pivots 21 are revolvably carriedabout a common axis, lie toeither side of and at a distance from the central boss 18 carrying the ball 17. The two bosses 29 are alined with said central boss 18 along a line extend ing substantially midwayacross the heating plate 4 'in parallelism with the pivotal axis connecting the arm 3 with theframe 1, but slightly nearer the rear edge of said plate 4. The-bosses 29 lie at equal distances from the central boss 18 and the bores therein are coaxial. The bores23 engaged by the sliders 22 are equidistant from the central tapped bore 21 and are parallel with the latter. 1

The suspension system 14 allows the heating plate 4 when lowered onto the ironing plate 2 to match the position of i the ironing plate, account being taken of the thickness of the fabric to be ironed. This ensures an uniform distribution of the pressure during the ironing and the return of the heating plate into its inoperative raised position, as adjusted through the agency of the.

screw 26.

The heating plate is protected by a cover 30. Now, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, the bores 28 round which the heating plate4 is adapted to rock, are slightly shifted towards the rear end of said heating plate 4 and, consequently, the rear edge of the cover 30 of the latter enters a position near the lower surface of the arm 3 when the press is open. Therefore, when the press closes, the front edge of the heating plate 4 touches first the front edge of the ironing board 2 or of the fabric to be ironed. Thus, the heating plate 4 produces a smoothing action on the fabric to be ironed when it closes over the ironing board.

On the other hand, when the press opens, the front edge of the heating plate remains in contact with the front edge of the ironing board 2 or of the ironed fabric while its rear edge rises first/This results in an exhaust of the steam evolved towards the rear of the press.

The cover 30 is folded along its edge 31 round the upper edge of the peripheral surface of the plate 4 along a line spaced by 5 to mm. beyond the latter so as to allow fresh air to sweep all round the plate 4 as illustrated by the arrow A. Fresh air can enter thus into the gap between the upper surface of the heating plate 4 and the lower surface of the cover 30, and this allows the temperature of the latter to be kept at a value less than the temperature of the heating plate 4.

The cover 30 is secured to further bosses, which are not illustrated, raised over the upper surface of the heating plate 4, with the interposition of an insulating packing.

The means heating the plate 4, which are not illustrated, are further more covered by a reflecting metal plate directing the heat rays downwardly.

The bottom 32 of the cover 30 is providedwith an opening affording a passageway for the suspension system 14. The edge 33 of said opening is spaced outwardly with reference to said system '14, so as to allow the hot air to escape out of the above-mentioned gap through said opening, as shown by the arrow B (FIG. 3).

The upper part of the arm 3 encloses the means for adjusting the temperature of the heating means. A thermostatadjusting knob 34 and the signallinglights 35, 36 corresponding thereto are shown in FIG. 3.

As also illustrated in FIG. 3, the-arm 3 is provided furthermore with a groove 37 engaged by the lever 5 when in its press-closing position.

There is also shown a secondlever 40 rigid with the arm 3 of the press, said lever providing means for bringing the heating plate 4 by hand nearer the ironing board 2, before the main lever 5 is brought into its pressclosing position. I

Numerous modifications may be brought to the structure disclosed. For instance, the ball-and-socket joint between the heating plate 4 and the arm 3 may be replaced by a cardan joint and the'elastic returning members 16 hingedly secured to the pivots 27 may be replaced by mere return springs, located to either side of the cardan joint or of the ball-and-socket joint, between the heating plate 4 and the arm 3.

We claim:

1. in an ironing press comprising a frame including an ironing surface, a carrier arm pivotally secured to the frame about an axis parallel with said surface and a heating plate adapted to be shifted between an upper inoperative position and a lower position for which the lower surface of the plate engages the ironing surface, the provision of a suspension connecting said heating plate with the carrier arm and including a two-part central multi-directional pivotal connection between said plate and said arm and the part of which carried by the arm has its axis perpendicular to the pivotal axis between said arm and the frame, two elastic suspension members carried by the arm perpendicularly to the pivotal axis between the arm and the frame, the axis of said members lying to either side of and at substantially equal distance from the axis of said part of the pivotal connection in a plane parallel with the pivotal axis between the plate and the arm, a pivot hinged to the free end of each suspension member and adapted to move in said plane parallel with the pivotal axis, two bosses raised on the heating plate and each provided with a bore on a predetermined line substantially parallel with the upper surface of the heating plate and engaged by the corresponding pivot to allow a relative sliding and rocking movement of the pivots in the bores of the corresponding bosses.

2. An ironing press as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier arm is provided with two bores extending through the arm perpendicularly to the pivotal axis between the frame and the arm in said plane parallel with said pivotal axis and each elastic suspension member is constituted by a slider adapted to move inside the corresponding last-mentioned bore and a cushioning spring urging the slider away from the heating plate. 3. An ironing press as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier arm is provided with two bores extending through the arm perpendicularly to the pivotal axis between the frame and the arm in said plane parallel with said pivotal axis and each elastic suspension member is constituted by a slider adapted to move inside the corresponding last-rnentioned bore and a cushioning spring urging the slider away from the heating plate and one end of which engages the portion of the arm surrounding the upper end of the corresponding bore, a washer at the upper end of the slider against which the other end of the spring bears and a screw adjustably screwed along the axis of the slider and the head of which holds the washer in a position with reference to theslider, corresponding to the desired tensioning of the cushioning spring.

4. An ironing press as claimed in claim 1, comprising a cover raised above and projecting beyond the outer periphery of the heating plate and including along its edges a depending flange surrounding said outer periphery at a distance providing between it and said periphery a passageway for the admission of fresh air into the space between the upper surface of the heating plate and the raised cover, said cover being provided furthermore with an opening through which the central pivotal connection extends with a clearance about the latter which affords a passage for the exhaust of the heated air out of said space.

' 5. An ironing press as claimed in claim 1, comprising auxiliary bosses raised on the upper surface of the heating plate, a cover resting on said bosses and projecting beyond the outer periphery of the heating plate, insulating packings inserted between said cover and the auxiliary bosses, said cover including along its edges a depending flange forming with the outer periphery of the heating plate a passageway for the admission of fresh air into the space between the upper surface of the heating plate and the cover and being provided with an opening through which the central pivotal connection extends with a clearance about the latter, affording a passage for the exhaust of the heated air out of said space.

6. An ironing press as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bores in the bosses raised on the heating plate are shifted slightly to the rear towards the pivotal axis of the arm with reference to a line crossing medially the heating plate in parallelism with said pivotal axis.

1 2U i i i 

1. In an ironing press comprising a frame including an ironing surface, a carrier arm pivotally secured to the frame about an axis parallel with said surface and a heating plate adapted to be shifted between an upper inoperative position and a lower position for which the lower surface of the plate engages the ironing surface, the provision of a suspension connecting said heating plate with the carrier arm and including a two-part central multi-directional pivotal connection between said plate and said arm and the part of which carried by the arm has its axis perpendicular to the pivotal axis between said arm and the frame, two elastic suspension members carried by the arm perpendicularly to the pivotal axis between the arm and the frame, the axis of said members lying to either side of and at substantially equal distance from the axis of said part of the pivotal connection in a plane parallel with the pivotal axis between the plate and the arm, a pivot hinged to the free end of each suspension member and adapted to move in said plane parallel with the pivotal axis, two bosses raised on the heating plate and each provided with a bore on a predetermined line substantially parallel with the upper surface of the heating plate and engaged by the corresponding pivot to allow a relative sliding and rocking movement of the pivots in the bores of the corresponding bosses.
 2. An ironing pRess as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier arm is provided with two bores extending through the arm perpendicularly to the pivotal axis between the frame and the arm in said plane parallel with said pivotal axis and each elastic suspension member is constituted by a slider adapted to move inside the corresponding last-mentioned bore and a cushioning spring urging the slider away from the heating plate.
 3. An ironing press as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier arm is provided with two bores extending through the arm perpendicularly to the pivotal axis between the frame and the arm in said plane parallel with said pivotal axis and each elastic suspension member is constituted by a slider adapted to move inside the corresponding last-mentioned bore and a cushioning spring urging the slider away from the heating plate and one end of which engages the portion of the arm surrounding the upper end of the corresponding bore, a washer at the upper end of the slider against which the other end of the spring bears and a screw adjustably screwed along the axis of the slider and the head of which holds the washer in a position with reference to the slider, corresponding to the desired tensioning of the cushioning spring.
 4. An ironing press as claimed in claim 1, comprising a cover raised above and projecting beyond the outer periphery of the heating plate and including along its edges a depending flange surrounding said outer periphery at a distance providing between it and said periphery a passageway for the admission of fresh air into the space between the upper surface of the heating plate and the raised cover, said cover being provided furthermore with an opening through which the central pivotal connection extends with a clearance about the latter which affords a passage for the exhaust of the heated air out of said space.
 5. An ironing press as claimed in claim 1, comprising auxiliary bosses raised on the upper surface of the heating plate, a cover resting on said bosses and projecting beyond the outer periphery of the heating plate, insulating packings inserted between said cover and the auxiliary bosses, said cover including along its edges a depending flange forming with the outer periphery of the heating plate a passageway for the admission of fresh air into the space between the upper surface of the heating plate and the cover and being provided with an opening through which the central pivotal connection extends with a clearance about the latter, affording a passage for the exhaust of the heated air out of said space.
 6. An ironing press as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bores in the bosses raised on the heating plate are shifted slightly to the rear towards the pivotal axis of the arm with reference to a line crossing medially the heating plate in parallelism with said pivotal axis. 